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21 August 2014

Another Sephora and Bath & Body Works Haul...

So I've got yet another US haul from Sephora and Bath & Body Works. I'm blessed to have a husband who has a mate in the states who was happy to act as my parcel forwarder. To make the whole situation sweeter, he gets a good rate at Fedex (although they did screw up my order by entering "Austria" into their system instead of "Australia", resulting in my parcel going around the globe several times - 6 transits in France, 4 in China, 2 in Dubai, 2 in India, 1 in Germany, 1 in Britain, and 1 in Singapore over the space of 2 weeks).

I decided to treat myself since my birthday was around the corner when I placed my orders. I ended up placing two Sephora orders (so I can use two coupons), and 1 Bath & Body Works order. I'm going to pat myself on the back for not going too crazy at Bath & Body Works, though I'm not sure the same could be said for Sephora.

Bath & Body Works haul - 3 x 2 wallflowers, and a wallflower plug

I mainly wanted the wallflower refills from Bath & Body Works, so I refused to look at any of their shower gels or hand soaps (as I still have a decent supply left). I have been using their snowflake wallflower wall plug, which lights up and acts as a night light from their Christmas collection, along with the Winter Candy Apple wallflower, and I absolutely adore the smell. I did have to purchase a transformer as the voltage is not correct, but it wasn't too expensive and was definitely worth the extra ~$5. The Winter Candy Apple wallflower lasted since we purchased our house in May. However, it wasn't switched on 24/7. So I'd say a bottle lasts about 2 months. I can't wait to give the other refills a go. I'm going to have to pick up another transformer for my new plug, which I think I'll be using in my room.

As mentioned earlier, I divided my Sephora purchases into two so that I could get more samples and use an additional coupon. My husband's mate consolidated all my purchases into a medium-sized Fedex box, so I'm not going to bother separating my haul out into the two orders that I placed.

Please excuse the poor picture quality. The lighting was horrendous due to the really crappy weather we've been having here in Sydney.

The items I picked up in my Sephora haul are:

1. Bumble & Bumble Super Rich Conditioner (2oz) - $9

I love trying out "new" conditioners for my dry, tangled locks.

2. Caudalie Divine Oil (0.5oz) - $9

This was purchased as a replacement for when I finish using my Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil (as mentioned in my Nighttime Skincare Routine - read here).

3. Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner - $24

I really wanted to see how it compares to my favourite eyeliner - Maybelline Lasting Drama Pen Gel Liner (read here), which is so similar to the Benefit one. Stay tuned for a review/comparison post!

4. Clinique for Men Face Scrub (100ml) x2 - $20 each

My HG face scrub. I picked up one for my brother, as he loves it too and was using mine when I was living with my parents.

5. Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit in 2 Neutral Light - $48

I was seriously torn. I couldn't decide whether I should get this sculpting kit or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. I would have gotten both if I could afford it, but ended up settling for this sculpting kit, as I've got heaps of bronzers and highlighters, and not many sculpting shades.

6. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush - $35

I love the Hourglass blush that my friend brought me back from New York so much that I HAD to add another shade to my collection. Luminous Flush is a lovely pink, but it's a lighter/brighter than I imagined (judging from the pictures on Sephora). Still love it though!

7. Too Faced Glow to Go - $12

To make up for not purchasing the Hourglass Ambient Palette, I purchased the Too Faced Glow to Go. It's such a good value for money, as it has a value of $25. It comes with a little Flatbuki Brush that is super soft!

I wanted to purchase the Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder, which costs $28 but I eventually settled for the Sephora Collection version due to budget restrictions (not that I need any more setting powders, as I received one from my husband for my birthday).

I purchased this as a back up, as I absolutely LOVE this lip balm despite it's packaging, which is basically a pot of lip balm that you have to dip your finger in and apply. It has the most amazing subtle rose smell and taste and it's moisturising too!

11. Make Up For Ever Smoked Out Set - 500 points

I used 500 of my Sephora points to get this set. It contains an eyeshadow sampler, aqua eyes in Dark Grey and Matte Black, Smoky Lash, Smoky Extravagant Mascara, and Sens'eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser.

12. Make Up For Ever VIB Rouge Birthday Set - Free

Since it was my birthday was about a week out when the order was placed, I was eligible to get the birthday set. Furthermore, as I have the VIB Rouge status, I qualified for the VIB Rouge set, which contains an extra product - Aquas Eyeliner. The VIB Rouge birthday set also contains a lipstick and Smoky Extravagant Mascara.

Wow, that is a serious haul, and you are so lucky to have the connections in place as it is no doubt still a lot cheaper than here, even with prices being lowered. Never thought about trying the Clinique scrub for men, interesting... May have to buy it for my husband so I can try it out..